Avowed announced - RPG from Obsidian

[Legend]

[the-pi-guy]

Would have loved to see more of this.

Could have been an easy game of the show.

[kitler53]

Would have loved to see more of this.

Could have been an easy game of the show.

this is probably in early pre-production like SoD3.  we probably won't see anything about this for 2 years.  

[Legend]

this is probably in early pre-production like SoD3.  we probably won't see anything about this for 2 years.  

Will it or Elder Scrolls 6 release first?

Could see them both being 2024.

[kitler53]

Will it or Elder Scrolls 6 release first?

Could see them both being 2024.

if avowed is to be a good game it won't ship until 2026.   4 years is not enough time to create a new IP.  if avowed ships in 2024 then it will be just gamepass filler content with lots of dlc expansions to "keep players engaged" but really only serves to ensure the game isn't very good.

[the-pi-guy]

if avowed is to be a good game it won't ship until 2026.   4 years is not enough time to create a new IP.  if avowed ships in 2024 then it will be just gamepass filler content with lots of dlc expansions to "keep players engaged" but really only serves to ensure the game isn't very good.

It might not be an entirely new IP.  

Obsidian has made several RPGs. Some are pointing out there are similarities to this and Pillars another franchise.  

[kitler53]

It might not be an entirely new IP.  

Obsidian has made several RPGs. Some are pointing out there are similarities to this and Pillars another franchise.  

there are similarities between uncharted and TLoU.  there are similarities between killzone (shadowfall) and horizon.

being influenced by your prior work is just sort of natural for a studio.  doesn't make it any less work to flesh out a new world/story/character/gameplay.   

i'm not familiar with Pillars so maybe i'm off base but to the best of my knowledge this is a new IP and new IP is expensive compared to a sequel.

[Legend]

It might not be an entirely new IP. 

Obsidian has made several RPGs. Some are pointing out there are similarities to this and Pillars another franchise. 

Yeah it's set on the same planet as Pillars.

if avowed is to be a good game it won't ship until 2026.   4 years is not enough time to create a new IP.  if avowed ships in 2024 then it will be just gamepass filler content with lots of dlc expansions to "keep players engaged" but really only serves to ensure the game isn't very good.

The Outer Worlds was a new IP and was ~4 years. Also was their first Unreal Engine game.

[kitler53]

Yeah it's set on the same planet as Pillars.
The Outer Worlds was a new IP and was ~4 years. Also was their first Unreal Engine game.

outer worlds didn't have a great reception:
https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/the-outer-worlds

a lack of depth or scope was a fairly common complaint which we now know had a lot of cut content which is now being sold to us as dlc. 

i stand behind what i wrote (except maybe i should have said "great" instead of "good":

if avowed is to be a good game it won't ship until 2026.   4 years is not enough time to create a new IP.  if avowed ships in 2024 then it will be just gamepass filler content with lots of dlc expansions to "keep players engaged" but really only serves to ensure the game isn't very good.

[Legend]

outer worlds didn't have a great reception:
https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/the-outer-worlds

a lack of depth or scope was a fairly common complaint which we now know had a lot of cut content which is now being sold to us as dlc.  

i stand behind what i wrote (except maybe i should have said "great" instead of "good":

Has an 85 on the PS4 version with more reviews. That beats the 84 Fallout New Vegas has. I've never played New Vegas and I don't think most fans would rank Outer Worlds above it, but it is clearly in line with the studio's output.



If you want a 90+ game then sure, 2024 makes that less likely.

[Xevross]

Yeah I think you're being a bit harsh Kitler. Outer Worlds was generally very well received, low-mid 80s meta is still very good (its in the top 14% of games on Opencritic). Also most fans seem happy with it.

4 years is definitely long enough to make a great new IP, it just depends on the scope. If we're thinking this is going to be Elder Scrolls sized and you're wanting it to be critically acclaimed then sure it would need much longer but 4 years is long enough to make something mid sized that is at least considered great. If it comes out in the next couple of years I agree I'd be very concerned but I think 2024 would very much be long enough to promote it to a higher level than just gamepass filler. It definitely helps that its set in the same universe as Pillars so they already have a lot of lore and world building figured out.

I guess it depends how much you value RPGs like Outer Worlds.

[Xevross]

Xbox Game Studios |OTX| You Had Me At Halo | ResetEra

As I previously mentioned before the announcement, Obsidian is working on Pillars (I assumed this regarding the info) game as back then I did get confirmation that game contains "spore-like" creatures with few other vague descriptions of The Living Lands.
 
 So, I did get new informations about Avowed:
 
 - fully open world, much much larger than Skyrim (very differently "larger", more proper word would be "denser" and "more contrasted" at the same time)
 - primarily set in the The Living Lands region of Eora (not sure if it'll go like that as explicit later on, but that was starting point)
 - big focus on world-reactivity, lighting and next-gen AI systems and physics (special focus on physics with magic systems - have no clue what would that mean)
 - realtime whether system (don't have full details but fog is very important as realtime element, rivers will have specific micro physics systems regarding this)
 - very advanced character creation tool (didn't get more info)
 - mod support (for now PC is/will be very dominant as creation tool, but I'll be playable fully on Xbox)
 - very large number of fractions but very different approach than with Skyrim
 - you'll be able to have companions (different than Outer Worlds)
 - storyset: fight against incoming threat of tyranny (independent from previous stories)
 - game has bosses planned and some of them are very very large
 - Gods will have special say in the game
 - great focus on iconic landmarks, statues and buildings
 - two large cities planned with many smaller ones with strong focus on contrasting wild-areas, rivers, mountains and desolated areas (yes, you'll be able to swim)
 - fully respecting POE creatures lore with new additions
 - dynamic presentation of dialogue
 - for now idea is to keep "you can kill everyone in the game" option
 - around 100 people are on the project for 2y (smaller number for 7m of preproduction), in total 2y 7m
 - full production is already a thing
 - team will still grow
 - target date: late 2022/early 2023
 
 Keep in mind that some parts of this can change during the development process.
 
 

[Xevross]

If they do pull off a big ambitious game by early 2023 they'd definitely cement themselves as Xbox's best studio.

[Legend]

That all sounds amazing.

If they do pull off a big ambitious game by early 2023 they'd definitely cement themselves as Xbox's best studio.

Agreed. Honestly this game alone could be Xbox's ace. For the next 2 years it can be used as a "wait for Avowed" crutch and then after release if it's good it can be proof that Microsoft's approach to building up first party is working. It's the big game that's making me still think an xsx at launch could be a worthy investment.


Also it seems even you and I were too conservative with our date predictions. They could have a sequel out by Kitler's 2026.

[the-pi-guy]

Skyrim was ~100 people over 3 years.  

4-5 years isn't crazy